Should a private business have a right to access your dog license application for promotional purposes? Yes, says the state's Office of Open Records. But Delaware County is fighting to keep its residents' dog license information private, including addresses.

Thursday Wag Jan. 28

Amy Worden, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted:
Thursday, October 17, 2013, 3:43 PM

Should a private business have a right to access your dog license application for promotional purposes? Yes, says the state's Office of Open Records. But Delaware County is fighting to keep its residents' dog license information private, including addresses. More from my colleague Mari Schaefer.

Things are looking brighter for Heaven in York. The Westie, who was found in a trash can a week ago with a stick plunged down her throat and other injuries, is improving after surgery for a broken leg. The 10-year-old girl who found the dog, Serenity Rhoads, and her family are thinking about adopting her. Meanwhile, SPCA agents are making progress in their effort to track down the dog's original owners identified through a microchip as living in Georgia. "We have a very solid lead as to the whereabouts of Heaven's original owner, and we are actively pursuing information from her that could lead us to (the abusers)," Smith told the York Dispatch.

New Jersey became the 10th state to pass a bill requiring a special agent be added to anti-freeeze to make it less palatable to children and pets. Gov. Christie signed the bill last week that is expected to prevent thousands of children and pets from being poisonted. An estimated 1,400 children and 10,000 animals are poisoned each year after ingesting ethylene glycol, a highly toxic - and sweet tasting - substance used in antifreeze and coolant in automobiles. The bill will require manufacturers to add denatonium benzoate, a bitter agent to antifreeze and coolant. Estimated cost increase for manufacturers? An additional 2 to 3 cents per gallon.

A Pennsylvania-based group that is fighting to outlaw dog chaining needs you for their annual Valentine's Day greeting card campaign. The non-profit Dogs Deserve Better seeks help from dog lovers in an unique direct mail outreach which pairs Valentines created by schoolchildren with America's chained dogs. Included with the card is a brochure for the dog’s caretakers, explaining why the practice of chaining dogs for life is a form of abuse. The materials encourage people to bring their dogs into the home and family or to find better homes for the animals.

By the end of January, the group needs 15,000 addresses of chained dogs, volunteers to make the Valentines, and donations of coupons for dog treats or dog food.

“This is the perfect opportunity for people who pass chained dogs every day but feel powerless to help them to make a difference,” said Dogs Deserve Better founder Tamira Thayne. “People can anonymously provide us with the addresses of these dogs, or make us a batch of Valentines, and we'll do the rest.”

Four states - California, Texas, Connecticut, and Nevada - have passed bans on dog chaining. Hundreds of cities and counties have passed limitations or outright bans. A chain-barring bill in the Pennsylvania legislature has been stuck in the House Judiciary Committee for a year. For more information on the Valentine's campaign click here.

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